


Two sides of the same coin.

by Saige



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Modern AU, Multi, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-18 08:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3563198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saige/pseuds/Saige
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rowan Trevelyan, senior enchanter of the Ostick circle of magi, survived a blast that killed thousands- and the mark on her hand is evidence of it. With the Divine dead and the threat of a powerful new illegal drug that's said to turn people into mindless husks that obey an unknown master,  it's a race against time to seal the breaches around the city of Haven. With the help of the Inquisition, an underground secret force, Rowan must not hesitate to leap into the abyss. If she does, it very well may be the end for everyone and everything she loves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> basically a modern AU for dragon age inquisition, some things have been changed/added to fit with a more modern setting. it'll feature characters from earlier dragon age games as well. it's primarily a romance fic so i'm just warning you now

“Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to move along. You can't sleep in the park on a bench.”

The words were muffled and faint, Rowan didn't want to get up yet. It felt as though she had only gotten to sleep. A firm jab in her ribs with something blunt made her eyes shoot open, she blinked a few times and sat up.

“Of course officer. I wouldn't want to tarnish this beautiful city's reputation by doing something I need to function.” Her cold sarcasm made the woman's eye twitch, but her face remained neutral. She was used to this kind of reaction, or someone who could hold their temper quite well.

“Ma'am, I'm going to ask you again. Move along.” Rowan reluctantly nodded and started walking, it was best she kept moving. The longer she stayed in one stop, the closer they got to finding her. It'd been a week, and she was sure that half of Thedas was on a man-hunt for her. Okay, perhaps that _might_ be a little bit of an exaggeration, she thought to herself. She continued walking out of the park, coming to a stop in front of a pedestrian crossing. She pressed the button rapidly and zipped up her hooded jacket, waiting for the light shaped like a man on the opposite side of the road to change to green. She hadn't showered in a week, hadn't eaten in two days and was quickly running out of money. She had wanted freedom, for herself and people like her – but not like this.

The light turned green and she quickly crossed, rounding a corner. She caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of shop windows and came to a stop, looking at herself. Her hair was untamed, curly, long and carelessly thrown into a large bun on top her head. Her clothes were dirty, her eyes so tired that the bags under them looked like bruises. She leaned in closer to the window, touching her eyes when something caught her eye. Someone was trying to cross the road, and appeared quite flustered that traffic simply wouldn't stop for them. Rowan turned to look at them, and their eyes locked.

They were trying to get to her.

She pulled her hood over her head and ran, going wherever her legs would take her. She didn't think they'd find her this soon- they couldn't possible have her phylactery. They'd be stonewalled by their own paperwork, it would take them at least a week to file the request to get it transferred from her home circle. She glanced behind her to see if they were perusing and found there were now three of them. She couldn't outrun them, especially when she was starved and deprived of sleep. She turned a corner rapidly and found herself in an alley with a dead end, the only way out blocked by a large fence. 

She kicked a nearby trash can in frustration. It can't end here, she had come so far in her life it couldn't end now in a dark alley. She inhaled deeply as she stared at the fence and readied herself, there was so little left of her mana but if she focused hard enough she may be able to pull off a large charge of electrical energy. If she was to die here, then she would take the bastards with her.

“My, my. Is it just me, or is the chantry making templars who actually have half a brain?” She said, letting her arms fall to her sides. She turned around to face them and was surprised to see an elf among them. 

“We are not templars, and we do not wish to harm you.” The elf said, taking a step towards her. The two behind him scowled but remained silent. Rowan examined them silently for a moment, they were armed and ready to cut her down if negotiations went awry. 

“Is that so? What proof can you offer me?” She asked, shifting her feet from side to side. Without a staff she wasn't sure she could control the blast she had planned.  
  
“My name is Solas. And I know about the mark on your hand.”


	2. Chapter 2

Rowan froze in fear. It was impossible, she thought as she glared at them. Nobody else knew, they couldn't. She hadn't told anyone, she hadn't showed anyone- she had kept it hidden even when it started hurting and glowing.

“Enough of this Solas, if she will not come willingly she will come by force.”

“Be silent, Cassandra.” Solas hissed, silencing the woman. She scoffed and glared at the back of the elf's head with pursed lips. The man beside her cocked an eyebrow upwards, trying hard to keep the corners of his mouth curving upwards. Rowan narrowed her eyes at the three of them, examining them cautiously. They were an odd trio, an elf with a couple of templars. He may have told her that they weren't templars, but if she concentrated hard enough she could sense the templar energy radiating off the two of them. The man with the blond, gelled hair was significantly weaker than the dark haired woman, but she could still feel it.

If they were willing to negotiate with her then she may yet come out of this encounter alive, she thought. She opened her mouth to discuss the terms of her submission when a loud explosion cut her off, throwing her and the others to the ground. She cried out when pain shot up the length of her left arm from her hand, forcing her into a sitting position, clutching her pained hand to her chest. She raised her head and saw a large, green glowing tear in what appeared to be the very air itself just meters above her. Solas, the one he called Cassandra and the blond man regained conciousness, hauling themselves up off the concrete floor.

No sooner had they gotten to their feet, the ground started to shake and crack, the crevices glowing green and growing wider with each passing second. Rowan forced herself to her feet, still clutching at her marked hand and in a sudden flash of green light, demons poured out the giant rift in front of them emitting horrifying high-pitched screams. 

The two templars clapped their hands together in union, lightning crackling between their gloved palms. They started pulling their hands apart, seemingly pulling electrical energy from thin air that formed the shape of a sword. In a flash of light, the energy turned to metal and both of them gripped the hilt of swords.

“We must protect the prisoner!” Cassandra yelled, slicing a particularly large demon's arm off. 

“I'm not your prisoner! And I can protect myself, you damn fools.”

“Just shut up and fight!” The other warrior yelled, impaling a demon from behind. He dodged a blow from an attack, ducking down and landing a kick square in it's chest. He gripped his sword and in another spark of lightning energy, a large shield appeared strapped to his arm. Cassandra's hand sparked and a shield mirroring his own appeared on her arm as well.

“They are going to continue to pile through the breach until we seal it!” Solas called over the noise of fighting. 

“And how exactly are we supposed to do that?!”

“I am thinking on it, Cullen.”

“Well think faster!” Rowan grabbed the lid off a nearby trash can and used it as a make-shift shield, bludgeoning her way through to the others. She winced and cried out in pain as the mark on her hand grew wider. She felt weak, her actions were slowing and her strength as well as her magic was fading fast. A creature raised its claws, striking her from the side. It slashed through her shirt, leaving large cuts along her ribs. She gasped and stumbled backwards, gripping at her bleeding side.

“Give me your hand.”

“What?”

“I said give me your hand!” Solas grabbed her hand and yanked her forwards, holding it up to the rift. She tried to pull her hand away in pain, but he held it firmly in place. The seal appeared to be absorbing into her mark, drawing the demons back into the rift as it started to close. Her legs shook violently, threatening to give way and her nose began to bleed. Rowan panicked, struggling to free her hand from his grip.

“You're going to kill me!” He finally released her hand from his grip and she pulled back, the rift in the sky disappearing in a blast. She sunk to her knees, breathing a sigh of relief. She clutched her still bleeding side, it felt like they had battled for an eternity.

“I believe we never really asked you to join us,” Solas said with a smile, “will you join us?” She glared up at him in anger, he knew she was in no position deny him an answer. She couldn't run, and she was badly injured. 

“Enough of this game, you know I am in no position to refuse.”

“I believe you still have a choice to join us or not.”

“You neglect to mention that my refusal would lead to my death or perhaps worse.” She looked to her side and made a disgusted noise, stretching a hand up towards him. “Help me up then.” He grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet, and she winced in pain. Her sides felt like they were on fire, she could taste the disgusting metal flavour of her own blood on her tongue. There was a distinct feeling of being powerless, her magic so weak that she wasn't sure if she could conjure the most basic of spells.

“Cullen, bring the car around. Solas and I will wait with the prisoner.” Cullen nodded to Casssandra, briskly walking out of the alley.

“For the last time, I'm not your-” Her words were cut off when her hand started glowing and shaking, her vision becoming blurry. Not again, not now. She was too weak to handle another episode.

“The mark is unstable, we need to get her back to the warehouse.” Solas' voice was dulled by the loud ringing in her ears. He tore material off of her damaged shirt and began wrapping her hand, using his magic to temporarily close the mark. Rowan began to sweat, her legs gave way and she collapsed. She heard Solas and Cassandra arguing faintly as her conciousness slipped away.

The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her were hundreds of eyes staring directly at her.


	3. Chapter 3

_She had no idea where she was, just that it was dark and silent. She hated it, the deafening silence. It reminded her of months spent in isolation with her voice hoarse from screaming to fill the emptiness._

_A sudden burst of light blinded her, forcing her to cover her eyes with her hands. When she lowered them, the light had dimmed and formed a womanly figure. The figure extended a hand, encouraging Rowan to take it. She stepped forward without thinking, reaching for the glowing hand. Her foot faltered and she fell, spiraling downwards into the dark abyss. She opened her mouth to scream but no words came out, the only sound to be heard was the silence from before._

_She shut her eyes tight and focused on counting backwards from a thousand. 999, 998.. she opened her eyes briefly and saw thousands of eyes staring at her. 995, 992.. had she skipped a few numbers? She couldn't remember._

_“Bring forth the sacrifice.” A deep voice echoed throughout the darkness, she opened her eyes once more and saw nothing but eyes surrounding her. She began to fall faster, and the eyes started blinking rapidly. She parted her lips, this time a bloodcurdling scream escaping them as she hit something solid._

 

Rowan woke drenched in sweat, her hair sticking to the nape of her neck and forehead.

Where was she? The last thing she remembered was Solas and Cassandra arguing and then.. eyes. Thousands of eyes. She glanced around and noticed she was lying in a bed that was in a room similar to her own back in the Ostwick circle. Instead of clean and bright, however, it looked aged and dark. As if no one had occupied it in years.

She winced and gripped her side, the adrenaline from startling awake wearing off. She looked down and noticed the bandages across her bare chest, cursing under her breath. She guessed that they had no mages skilled in healing magic or poultices on hand, otherwise her chest wouldn't be covered in them. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, shivering at the cold hitting her skin. She regretted leaving the warmth of the blankets immediately, hauling herself to her feet.

“Well, at least they had the decency to give me clean underwear. Even if it doesn't fit properly.” She mumbled to herself, pulling it back up around her hips. They were pink, lacy and no doubt expensive. 

Rowan hummed to herself to fill the silence, scanning the room for a mirror. The room was bare, empty except for the bed and the night stand next to it. She frowned and sighed with irritation, she knew she looked atrocious but she needed to asses the damage fully.

The door swung open suddenly, startling her. She raised her hands, electrical magic engulfing them. These people were an unknown anomaly, and people she couldn't predict were dangerous people. The person who opened the door she recognized as the templar called Cullen, stood there frozen with a bottle of water and a sandwich in his hands.

“I- forgive me, I thought you would still be asleep and,” his eyes lowered to her hips and he quickly averted them, “perhaps we should continue this conversation when you.. have pants on?” 

“What are you talking about? I have-” She looked down and realized that her underwear had fallen around her ankles. She ceased her magic and pulled them back up around her hips, blushing furiously. “Avert your eyes, templar!” she demanded.

“My eyes are already averted. And I'm not-”

“Well, avert them some more!”

“I'm looking at the ceiling, they can't get any more averted than this!”

“Turn around! Turn goddamn around!”

“Alright! Just stop yelling at me.” He turned around, sticking his hands up in the air. She stared daggers at his back before speaking again.

“Where are my clothes? How long have I been asleep?” She inquired. She was fuming with anger, but forced herself to speak calmly at his request. 

“A week. And your clothes are being washed, well what's left of them. Your shirt, jacket and..” he paused, coughing nervously, “..bra were beyond repair so they were destroyed. Your skirt and underwear remain intact however.”

Damn it, she was going to have to buy new clothing. And those were her favorite items too! “Are you going to hand me over to the Chantry?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want from me?”

“Cassandra and Solas believe the mark on your hand is the key to closing the breaches throughout Haven. I hope they're right, for all our sakes.” Rowan sighed in frustration. Of course they wanted the mark, what else would they be after? She thought quietly to herself. 

“Give me your shirt.”

“What?”

“I _said_ give me your shirt.”

“The shirt off my back? What do you want with-”

“Don't argue with me. Just take it off and give it to me.” She heard Cullen grunt in annoyance as he placed the food and water on the floor. He complied, removing his shirt and holding it behind his back. Rowan snatched the shirt from his hand and put it on, grimacing at the pain from her ribs. Once she had it on she let her underwear drop to the floor, having no use for it since his shirt came just above her knees. She raised her eyebrow at the sight of the tattoo on his back before shoving him out of the room. “Your services are no longer required. Leave. Now.”

“Are you well enough for Cassandra to speak to you?”

“Yes, yes. Now leave templar, before I electrocute you.”

“I told you, I'm not a bloody templar! Not any more anyway.”

“If you give a broken down car a new coat of paint it's still a broken down car.”

“Well yes, but-” She silenced him by shocking him with her fingers. He jumped and turned around to glare at her. _“Don't do that again.”_ He said in a threatening tone. She bent downwards and picked up the sandwich and water, then smiled sweetly as she leaned against the door.

“Or what?” She said before slamming the door in his face. She heard him mumble something under his breath, then his angry footsteps stomping down the hall. She sat on the bed and unwrapped the sandwich, taking a large bite. If she was going to be forced to work with these people, there was no way she was going to play nice. Especially when it concerned templars.

She really hated templars.


End file.
